The Letter
by Tezria
Summary: Ezra mysteriously left and when Aria suddenly receives a letter from him years later she can't shake the feeling that her soul mate is in trouble. Now she must put the puzzle pieces together to solve the puzzle as to why he left. It's going to be the hardest challenge she has ever faced but if she ever wants to see Ezra again she's going to have to have to solve the mystery.
1. Chapter 1

**I came up with this idea way back during season 2 (long time ago I know) and I'm just now actually getting around to finishing the story. This is my first multi-chaptered story so any and all criticize is greatly welcomed. I'd love to hear your views and thoughts on the story so don't be shy! Let me know what you think! Without further ado…**

_It had been four years since he had left without notice. Four years since I had received answering machine after answering machine from him. Four years since I had had panic attack after panic attack worrying about him; thinking the worst.__Four years since I had walked into his apartment to find it empty and no traces of his existence. Four years since I had cried myself to sleep on his apartment floor. Four years since I had last seen his face._

Chapter 1

It was my twenty first birthday. Hanna, Spencer, and Emily were taking me out with their appropriate others to my first trip to the bar, legally that is. My birthdays had never been the same without him. He always seemed bring a special light to them. However much I missed him though, I wasn't going to let my misery ruin the night.

I began the process of getting ready and by nine o' clock I was completely finished and ready to hit the road. I walked down stairs and grabbed my keys and cell phone and snatched my purse off the island in my kitchen, tossing my keys and phone into it before walking out the door and to my car. As I navigated my way out of the parking complex, I turned up the volume on the radio. Happiness. Our song. It had just begun and I couldn't help the stray tears that fell from my eyes. I inwardly cursed myself for letting my emotions get the best of me and quickly wiped the tears away, muting the radio in the process. This was supposed to be a happy night. A celebration. And I was ruining it for myself by thinking about the past. I'll never know why he disappeared or where he went, I don't know why I waste my time wondering about it. He probably realized how wrong what we were doing was and left before things became too overpowering. Although a part of me wondered if he could ever do something like that to someone. Someone who he loved and wanted to marry one day. As I drove into the club's parking lot, I had to remind myself to forget about him, if only for tonight, and berated myself for continually allowing him to flood my thoughts after all these years. I found a parking spot, grabbed my purse, and got out. I found Hanna and Caleb with Emily and Maya waiting near the entrance. As I walked towards the club, I spotted Spencer and Toby walking up as well.

I greeted them all before we headed inside. I walked straight to the nearest table and everyone else followed in suit. We ordered our drinks and commenced in light conversation reminiscing about what has been going on in our lives since the last time we had all met up before Hanna dragged us all onto the dance floor. We danced for what seemed like endless hours before we finally sat down to save our feet from permanent destruction. I took a sip of my drink and relinquished in the comfort it brought me. Now I know why Ezra always had a glass of scotch when he was stressed. I immediately blocked my mind from all thoughts of him, I had gotten this far without a single thought and I wasn't going to ruin it now. I plastered a smile on my face and continued to converse with my friends about all the memories we shared when we were younger.

By about two the next morning, we decided it would be best for us to go home so we said our goodbyes and departed to our separate cars. I drove home, doing my best to keep my eyes open from the amount of alcohol I had consumed tonight. I walked into my house and tossed my purse onto the counter before dragging myself up to bed. The last thoughts I had before I fell into a dreamless slumber were of Ezra.

~X~

I woke up the next morning with a horrible headache and slowly made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed some aspirin and a glass of water and chugged them down. I slowly made myself breakfast before beginning my morning routine. I had just finished brushing my teeth when there was a knock at the door. I walked down stairs to the front door and looked through the microscopic peephole. I unlocked and opened the door when I realized it was just the mailman on his morning route. I kindly accepted the mail and sent him on his way. Figuring it was just bills I tossed them on the island in the kitchen and made my way upstairs to the study. Scanning the many bookshelves in the room my eyes fell upon a tattered and well-aged book. To Kill A Mockingbird. Slowly removing the book from its spot on the shelf, I opened it up and all the memories came flooding back. It wasn't until I saw a tear splash onto a random page that I realized I was crying. I quickly closed the book and set it back on its designated spot on the bookshelf before picking up a random book and curling up on the small sofa in the corner of the room.

**You're not going to do this again. You've done this every day since he left. You need to wake up and face reality. He left you. He's never coming back. He doesn't love you. He never did.**

I slammed my book closed and abruptly stood up and marched to my bedroom. I wasn't going to do this again. I changed into my workout gear and jogged downstairs before locking the door and walking across the lawn. I thought an afternoon run would take my mind off of things and allow me to forget, if only for a moment, the painful memories. I put my headphones in my ears, turned the music on full blast, and just started running. I guess you could say I had a Forest Gump moment because once I started, I didn't want to stop. I just kept running and running and before I knew it the sun had set and the street lights were on. I turned around and started running home. It was after ten o' clock when I had finally walked through the door. I jogged upstairs to take a quick shower and change into comfortable clothes before fixing dinner. Just as I had finished cleaning everything up and was about to head upstairs I remembered the bills I had tossed on the counter earlier this morning. I would've left them until the morning but something inside of me pushed me to look at them now. I walked over to the counter and picked them up, going through each of them individually and tossing them on the counter. I stopped suddenly when I came across a crinkled and dirty envelope. I could barely make out the writing it was so tattered. I held it under the light as I opened it slowly, careful as to not rip anything within its confines. I gently pulled out the letter within the envelope and began to read it. I could have sworn my heart stopped beating when I realized who had written the letter. I had to read the name at the bottom of the page at least ten times to be sure I wasn't imaging things. But sure enough, there, carefully handwritten at the bottom of the letter was the name, Ezra Fitz.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful reviews! I'm so ecstatic that you guys like it so far! I love reading all of your reviews so keep telling me what you think about it! Without further ado here is chapter 2…**

Chapter 2

Her hands shook with anger. Her heart beating a million miles a minute, waiting to burst in surprise. Her body, a trembling mess waiting to turn into a tornado and completely destroy the entire apartment. Her hands went numb as the tattered paper gently glides down onto the wood floor. She backs away in a mixture of emotions until her back hits the wall and she slumps down hastily to the floor. Her knees, now finding a new home against her chest, hold her head gently as she finally explodes and weeps in a mix of anger, sadness, confusion, joy, and exhaustion. The amount of time that passes is unknown and the pain begins to settle down deep in her heart. Aria cries herself to sleep and is awoken the next day by a car horn outside her window. Tear stains are very evident on her jeans and the soreness, finally making its grand debut, in her neck reminds her of the unorthodox sleeping position she encountered the night before. She heaves herself up to her feet and walks her limb body to the bathroom to assess the damage that has been done. What appeared to her in the mirror was almost as frightening as the letter she read last night. What had once been black eyeliner has now become an intricate design, which would've been a 2 year old's proudest master piece, on her cheeks. Mascara has been smudged profusely all over her eyes and eye shadow had long disappeared from her eyes and found a new home on the knees of her jeans. She got to work on the removal of the graffiti on her face. Though harsh scrubbing repaired her face, nothing could be done about the broken soul and heart nestled within her. Dragging herself into a much needed hot shower, Aria thanked god that it was Saturday and she didn't have to leave the safety of her own home for the next two days. She had so many questions begging to be asked and no answer that could follow them. It made her brain ache with misery, thus bringing about the worst migraine her body had ever experienced. The rest of the day was spent lying in the fetal position on her bed trying to erase the memories that kept flooding in like a hurricane.

~X~

After hours of lying in bed doing nothing but stare absentmindedly at the wall, Aria finally gave in to her stomachs protests on the lack of food she had ingested that day and slowly got out of bed. She swayed a little before falling back on to her bed with a groan. Grabbing her nightstand, she slowly pulled herself up and once she was balanced, she consciously made her way downstairs towards to the kitchen. As she trudged into the kitchen, she noticed the letter that she had never picked up. She walked over to where it lay, slowly bent down, and picked it up gently. She stared at it for who knows how long, contemplating what to do with it. She finally folded it back up and placed it in the drawer of her desk and returned to fixing herself dinner.

~X~

Sunday evening approached swiftly and Aria found herself gazing up at the sky wishing she could just start over new, without the trouble that the past few days have caused for her. As her eyes gazed upon the stars, old conversations replayed themselves in her head and it wasn't long until she fell asleep on her balcony. Dreams usually don't come to her but this night, dreams seemed to be of necessity of her slumber. All but a single dream were forgotten by the time she awoke Monday morning and that single dream haunted her until she returned home from work that evening.

Once she had returned from work, she cleaned up and changed into some lounge pants and a shirt before going to fix herself something to eat.

After she had eaten and cleaned up the mess, she curled up on her couch and watched TV until she found herself dozing off. She switched the television off and made her way upstairs to her bedroom where she plopped herself down on her bed without much concern. As she turned towards the picture sitting on her nightstand, realization struck her. The blue eyes. The curly brown hair. The entire physical appearance of the man was the exact same. The man from her dream, or she guessed nightmare would be a much more fitting title, was Ezra. She couldn't grasp why he had appeared to her so violently. She couldn't understand why her mind played him out that way. She lay in bed staring at the celling asking questions that no one could possibly answer. Her mind raced with possible solutions but none of them seemed realistic. Needless to say, when her alarm went off that very next morning, she needn't be awoken by its loud and obnoxious noise for she had never actually fallen asleep the night before. That day, she was simply just going through the motions, not paying much attention to anything else or putting much effort into anything she did. Getting home that night, Aria tossed everything into her living room and went straight for the letter in her drawer. She didn't understand what it was she wanted to do about it but she knew she couldn't just ignore it. Knowing that she was never going to know where to start she called up Spencer for some much needed advice on what to do about the new found discovery.

Setting the letter down on her desk, Aria fished her phone out of her back pocket, bringing up her contacts and calling Spencer. She wasn't sure why she was calling Spence or if she could even help Aria figure out what to do. All she knew was that she needed to tell someone about this and Spencer seemed like the best option.

Just before it went to voicemail, Spencer answered.

"Aria?"

"Hey Spence."

"Hey….. Is something wrong?"

Aria realized that she had yet to speak up after Spencer had returned her greeting.

"Oh, yeah sorry I just a zoned out for a second."

Spencer laughed and replied, "It's okay, was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Aria looked down at her nails which had bit bitten down to numbs due to the stress of these last few days. She really wanted to ask Spencer about the letter but she couldn't find a way to actually ask. Spencer was the only one who became infuriated with Ezra after he mysteriously left and bringing that topic up around her never ended well.

"No... I just wanted to see how you were doing. Maybe we could grab lunch sometime later this week? It's been forever since we've actually sat down and talked."

Spencer laughed over the phone before replying, "Ar, we just saw each other a few days ago for your birthday. It hasn't been that long."

Sighing softly, Aria switched her phone from her right hand to her left before she replied, "I know but it just seems like we haven't talked one on one for a long time. Besides, I could always go for a little Sparia time, if you're up for it that is."

"Sure, Ar. How does Thursday sound?"

Aria could practically hear her smile on the other end of a line and reciprocated the action. Glancing at the calendar in front of her Aria wrote in her lunch date with Spencer under Thursday.

"Sounds great! See you then, bye."

She quickly hung up and shoved her phone pack in her pocket, huffing as she stormed to the bathroom. She wanted to tell Spencer, she really did, she just didn't want Spencer to be angry at her for bringing him up again after so many years. Trying to distract herself, Aria washed her face and changed into her running gear. Locking the door on her way out, she began running, trying so hard to block all the memories that desperately wanted to consume her mind. Unfortunately, she was unable to block them all out and a single memory came crashing in.

_"__Well, you should just leave with Symone. Take her home to New York."_

_"__Why would you think I would want t-"_

_"__Why wouldn't you? She's beautiful and smart and funny."_

_"__I met her yesterday…"_

_"__She's successful, you love her writing. She's your age. I can't – I can't compete with that."_

_"__Nobody is asking you to!"_

_"__Yeah, but it's true, you two even look like a couple. You can dance with her and hold her hand in front of other people… Leave your apartment at the same time without having to count to fifty." _

_"__Aria, why are we having this conversation? I – I am already in love with someone else."_

No matter how hard she tried, Aria couldn't hold back the tears any longer and when they came it was like a flash flood. She slowly came to a stop on the pavement, trying her best to compose herself. Clenching her eyes shut, her shoulders heaved as a loud cry came out. She was thankful that the sun had set hours ago so there was no one around to see her crying on the sidewalk. She leaned up against the outside wall of some clothing store and cried until it felt like there was no liquid left in her body. Pushing herself up off the wall, Aria began running back in the direction of home, hoping she'd be able to control her emotions at least until she had gotten inside the safe confines of her home.

Slowing her pace a little as she came closer to her front door, Aria fished her keys out of the little zipper pocket in the back of her running pants. Desperately trying to unlock her door with shaking hands, Aria huffed in frustration as she was still unable to get the key in the tiny hole. After a few more tries, Aria heaved a sigh of relief as the key finally penetrated in the lock. Letting herself in, Aria locked the door behind her as she tossed her keys on the island in her kitchen. Hauling herself upstairs, Aria peeled off her clothes, tossing them in the laundry bin as she changed into a pair of shorts and a camisole. Climbing into bed, Aria rolled over and stared at the picture sitting on her nightstand. With a final sigh, Aria closed her eyes and let sleep take over her entire body.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so very sorry for the late update. I meant to get this out last week but finals consumed all my free time. But, now that it's summer I should have more free time to write and therefore should have more frequent updates. Please continue to review and let me know what you think! I love reading what you guys have to say! And now onto the chapter you've all been waiting for…**

Chapter 3

The loud blaring of my alarm woke me up Tuesday morning and I groaned as I rolled out of bed. Tossing my comforter and sheets to the top of my bed, I shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Relinquishing in the wonderful feeling of the water beating down on my sore muscles, I began singing softly to myself as I got ready for the day ahead of me. Once I had finished washing my hair and body, I carefully stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. Pulling out my blow-dryer, I quickly blow dried my hair, curling it softly as it dried. Applying a small amount of makeup, I dropped my towel in the laundry bin and walked back to my room, pulling out a pair of nice jeans and a floral blouse. Changing quickly, I walked down stairs and popped some toast in the toaster and made myself a cup of coffee. Munching on my toast quietly, I flipped through the mail I had received the previous day. I dumped my dishes in the sink and walked back upstairs to brush my teeth and finished getting ready for work. Unplugging my phone from its charger, I tossed it in my purse and walked out the door, locking it behind myself as I did. Climbing into my car, I tossed my purse into the passenger seat and turned my car on. It buzzed to life and a song which I was unfamiliar with began playing through the speakers. I drove to work quietly, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel as I waited for the traffic to clear up. As I pulled into the parking lot I glanced up at the bookstore I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt so happy that I had a job that I actually thoroughly enjoyed and felt so blessed every day that I wasn't stuck in some stuffy office wishing the hours to pass by faster so that I could go home and get away from the horrible place. Although I went to college to be a teacher, I wasn't too upset with the outcome of my career. I did plan on eventually finding a place to teach but for now I was perfectly content on where I was in my life. Well, almost perfectly content. I grabbed my purse and stepped out of my car, locking it as I strolled through the door. I smiled at Harold, the owner, as I walked into the back room to set my purse down and grab a cup of coffee. I walked back out into the front room and walked over to Harold.

"Good morning." I said as I took a sip of the piping hot liquid.

"Morning, Aria. Aren't we feeling fine today?" Harold smiled up at me as he rang up the customer in front of him.

"We are indeed." I smiled back at him and took another sip from my mug. I had known Harold since I moved back from Iceland and he had been the closest thing to a grandfather I had. I would often come in here just to help him organize the racks and he would kindly give me a book or two in return. Ezra and I had often dropped in to say hello and check out the new arrivals. Some days we would just spend all afternoon lying on a couch and enjoying any random book we happened to come upon. Harold never once judged our relationship and we were forever grateful for that. He offered me a part-time job here soon after Ezra had disappeared in hopes of allowing me the space to cope with his disappearance. After I graduated from Rosewood Day, he allowed me to continue to work here whenever I pleased as I went to Hollis. After I had received my degree, he gave me a full time job and I had thanked him every day since.

Harold had finished ringing up the customer and he turned around to face me as I took another sip of my coffee.

"We got that new book you've been waiting on today. I grabbed one from the delivery man and stuck it in the cabinet in the backroom. It's there waiting for you when you leave today, though since that was our only customer so far today I'd say you'd be able to finish a fair amount of it today before you close up."

"Really?! It's finally here?" I set down my mug on the counter and quickly made my way to the backroom. Spotting the book on the cabinet, I strolled over to it and picked it up, examining the cover as I tested its weight in my hands. Opening it up, I smelled its new scent and relinquished in the comfort it gave me. If there was anything better smelling than an old book, it was a new one. Walking back to Harold I opened it up and started reading the first chapter. Harold laughed as he saw me approaching him and I smiled softly at him as I closed it and set it on the counter.

"Thank you, Harold. Really, I don't know how much longer I could've gone without it. I'll pay you tomorrow for it, promise."

"No worries, Aria. Whenever you can or never at all, it doesn't matter to me. You work here now; you don't have to continue to pay for a book here and there."

"I know. I just feel better about actually giving you money for it. You've done so much for me and I feel so guilty that I haven't done as much for you." He was such a sweet man and I couldn't help feeling that I didn't deserve his consideration.

"Nonsense Aria! You do so much for me! Who else would work here with this boring, old man?" Gesturing to himself, Harold smiled up at me. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips at his response.

"I'm still paying for it," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder before I picked my coffee back up and went to return the book to its previous spot. Walking over to the little sink in the backroom, I rinsed out my empty mug and placed it on the drying rack. Walking back in to the front room I went to organizing the books into their correct orders on the shelves. After I had finished I switched with Harold as he went to the backroom to take his afternoon nap. Seeing as we hadn't had more than five customers all day, I quietly walked over to the cabinet and grabbed my book. Making my way back to the cash register, I sat down on the little stool in front of it and picked up where I had last left off. Before I knew it, Harold was walking back into the front room. Closing my book, I glanced over at him and quietly giggled to myself as he attempted to suppress a yawn and failed.

"Well, it looks like that's all for today. Guess we better close up for the night."

Agreeing with him I picked my book back up and stuck it into my purse. Meeting Harold at the door, I walked out with him as he locked the place up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Aria."

I smiled back at him and gave a little nod as we went our separate ways. Climbing into my car, I drove back home ready for a much needed meal. Walking into my house, I tossed my keys in their bowl and quickly made my way to the kitchen. Tossing my purse on the island, I walked to the freezer and pulled out a microwave meal. Popping it in the microwave oven, I went through today's mail and then proceeded to through all the useless junk in the trash. Grabbing my meal and some utensils, I made my way to the living area and plopped down on my couch, eating quietly as I watched whatever happened to be playing on the television. After I had finished, I cleaned up my mess and made my way upstairs and changed into some pajamas. Walking back down stairs, I grabbed my phone from my purse and walked over to plug it into its charger on my desk. I glanced down at the drawer after plugging in my phone and after staring at it for several minutes, I sighed and opened it up. Grabbing the letter, I sat down in my chair and unfolded it. I read it again and then read it again after that and then once more before finally setting it down on my desk. Sticking my head in the palms of my hands I tried to think of what I was going to do it about it. I knew it was Ezra who had written this, the handwriting was unmistakable, but I just couldn't understand why it had taken so long for him to write me. Or why the letter looked like it had been to hell and back several times. After all those years of A's torture and I still couldn't tell what was real and what was just a game. I didn't know if it was just some sick game or if this letter was the real deal. Picking it up once more I read over the letter again.

**_My dearest Aria,_**

**_I am so sorry for all that I have put you through; surely you must know that this was never my intuition. I cannot begin to explain to you what has happened or where I am. I cannot tell you why I disappeared so suddenly or why I never told you goodbye. Just know that I am alive and that I love you just as much as I did that first day at the bar. I know that no amount of letters could ever explain just how sorry I am but I just hope that this one helps you to have some closure and to move on with your life. You'll always be in my mind and in heart. Never forget that. I love you._**

******_Love always,_**

******_Ezra Fitz_**

Staring at the letter for a few more minutes, I finally set it back in my drawer and went back to bed. Lying in bed that night I finally decided what I needed to do. I was going to tell Spencer about the letter.


	4. Chapter 4

**I feel like you guys may not like the story much anymore. Remember that reviews are what keep us writers motivated and without them we feel a bit lost on how our story is going. If you guys have any ideas or any criticism on the story ****_please_****let me know. I want to know how you guys are feeling about it or what you want to be changed about it so please keep reviewing and give me your opinions. I open to all ideas and criticism so please don't be afraid to tell me. I don't mean to come off as rude I just generally like what you guys have to say :) Without further ado…**

Chapter 4

Wednesday went by relatively fast and Thursday stormed through before I even realized what was happening. I had already informed Harold that I was going to have to take an early lunch and promised that I would make up the time Friday, though he insisted that it really wasn't necessary.

I am currently sitting at a table in the back of a bistro close to the book store. I haven't been able to stop moving since I sat down and I don't understand what has got me all worked up. It is just Spencer. _Just Spencer. Ha._ While I know that Spencer really does mean well sometimes she is a bit over protective and can often get carried away; not entirely realizing what she's saying. Glancing down at my phone for the umpteenth time in the past two minutes I realized that I still had about ten minutes until she actually got here. I picked up a menu and glanced over the few vegetarian options the bistro offered. Glancing down at my phone again I took note that it still hadn't changed from its previous time. Setting the menu down, I started drumming my fingers on the table as I went through all the possible outcomes of today's lunch.

Spencer could totally call me out on my stupidity about the whole situation and claim that it was probably one of A's last games.

She could be really open to the whole situation and help me figure out what to do and maybe, just maybe, help me find out what happened to Ezra and where he is.

She could walk away from the table and refuse to talk to me for weeks until she was sure that I was back from my temporary insanity.

It seemed like the outcome of this conversation was not going to end well. Nevertheless, it was a conversation I desperately needed to have with her not just for my peace of mind but also for my sanity and there was no way I was going to back out of it. It had to be done.

"Hey, Ar."

I jumped, not realizing I had been daydreaming for that long. Smiling at her as she sat down in the chair across from me I brought myself out of my contemplative state and focused my attention on her.

"Hey, Spence. How have you been?"

Picking her menu up, she gave a huff in response as she glanced over the items.

"That good, huh?"

Spencer glanced up from menu and gave a look as to say 'Don't even think about asking'. Chuckling softly to myself, I glanced back down at my menu finally settling on ordering just a salad.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Playing dumb, I looked at her like I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Don't give me that look, Aria; I know that there is _something _you wanted to talk about."

"I have no idea what on earth you are talking about…"

Spencer glared at me and I sighed as I finally set out to tell her why I really wanted to meet up with her today.

"Okay, well-"I was interrupted by a waiter coming over to take our orders. After we had placed them, Spencer turned back to me and I attempted to gather up the courage to just tell her.

"Okay, I'm just going to spit it out, no beating around the bush or rambling on and on about nothing because really, what point does that serve but just to waste time and I'm definitely not here to waste your time I really do have something very important to talk to you about and-"

"Aria."

"What?"

Spencer smiled at me and replied, "You're rambling."

"Oh, right." I glanced down at my hands and tried to stop them from shaking. Spencer reached her hand and grasped mine in hers. Looking up, she gave me a reassuring smile. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breathe to try to calm my nerves and then looked back at her.

"I got a letter…" Spencer gave me a questioning look as I took yet another deep breath.

"From Ezra."

Spencer pulled her hand back in shock as her face displayed the utter confusion she was in.

"What-"

Just then our waiter came by with our food and after he left Spencer was still staring at me in shock. I looked at her for a few more seconds before I grabbed my fork and began to dig into my salad. However, Spencer had other ideas. Grabbing my wrist just as I was about to stab some greens on my fork, Spencer brought my attention back up to her.

"You what?"

Sighing as I dropped my fork onto the plate I looked back at her and replied, "I got a letter from Ezra."

"Ezra as in Ezra Fitz? Ezra as in our old English teacher? Ezra as in the one who left years ago without so much as a 'Goodbye'? Ezra as in-"

"Yes Spencer that Ezra."

I rolled my eyes at her as she digested what I had just told her and tried to go back to eating.

"Wait."

Dropping my fork once again I looked back at her.

"He sent you a letter?"

Nodding softly I reached into my purse and pulled out the letter carefully. Handing it over to Spencer I went back to eating my salad.

"And when did you get this?"

Wiping my mouth with a napkin I finished chewing my food before replying.

"The day after my birthday."

"And you've kept this a secret this long because..?"

"I wasn't sure what to do Spence, I was in shock. I had moved on with my life-"

Spencer scoffed at that statement, seeing straight through my lies. I glared at her and she held her hands up in defense, motioning for me to continue.

"Like I was saying, I was moving on with my life and suddenly this just pops back into it, what was I supposed to do? I wasn't even sure if this was real at first. Thus the reason why I called you."

"When in doubt just call Nancy Drew," Spencer said, laughing at the nickname that had been given to her all those years ago.

Laughing along with her, I finished my salad and waited for her to finish her meal. After a pregnant pause, Spencer finally spoke up.

"So what do you want to do?"

Fiddling with my hands I thought about what I really did want to do about it.

"I don't know. I mean, I want to find him and make sure he's okay. I just really want answers, Spence. But how do I even know that this is real?"

"Well, I'm going to assume that by that 'B26' at the bottom of it, this letter is pretty real."

"What?!" I never once saw anything relating to B26 on that letter and I've read it over fifty times. Picking the letter up from the table, I read it over again. Spencer pointed her manicured finger to the very bottom right corner of the letter. Sure enough, there was 'B26' carefully written in the corner, albeit severely faded and almost invisible to the eyes. I couldn't believe I had never noticed that before.

"I take it you never saw that."

"No I did not."

Setting the letter back down, I looked back up at Spencer.

"So what do we do now?" I asked Spencer.

Giving me an incredulous look she replied, "What makes you think I'm going to help you find the man that completely destroyed you all those years ago and continues you screw with you all these years later?"

Dumbfounded, I looked at Spencer in shock. Realizing what she had said, Spencer grabbed my hand and said, "I'm sorry, I dint mean for it to come out like that. Of course I'll help you."

Smiling at her I sat up straighter in my chair.

"Really?"

Spencer nodded her head as she tried, and failed, to hide her smile. Jumping up from my chair I went over and gave her hug. Laughing, Spencer pushed me back after a few moments.

"On one condition."

Taking a seat, I turned back to her and gave her my full and complete attention.

"What?"

"I get to throw the first punch."

Looking at her in annoyance, and maybe a little hurt, I replied, "No promises…"

"That's all I'm asking for" Smiling to herself, Spencer picked up her water glass and took a sip as I stared at her, wondering what we have gotten ourselves into.

~X~

Walking into my house after my lunch with Spencer, I tossed everything onto the island and jogged upstairs to change into something more comfortable. I then walked back downstairs and carefully removed the letter from my purse, gently putting it back in its drawer. I was overjoyed that Harold allowed me to go home early after seeing me coming back from lunch. It gave me the time to really ponder where exactly I wanted to start with figuring out what happens to him. Spencer and I had already planned for her to come over tomorrow night and spend the weekend at my house. There were so many different ways I could go with this information. After thinking it all over for a while, I gave up and decided to just enjoy my time off. Curling up with _The Grapes of Wrath_ I spent the rest of my afternoon reading the wonderful words of John Steinbeck. No sooner had I started reading that I found myself drifting off and eventually, falling asleep.

A dog barking outside woke me from my nap many hours later and I stood up from my couch and began preparing dinner. The lack of food in my fridge was quite alarming to me; I hadn't realized how preoccupied I had been these last few weeks and how little I had actually gone out aside from work. Huffing, I slammed the fridge door closed and decided to order in. After I had phoned in my order, I decided to get out the money needed. As I searched for my wallet I realized that I had a message and missed phone call from Spencer. Retrieving my wallet and phone from my purse, I pulled out the needed money and pulled up the text from Spencer.

**"****I think I found something. Call me when you can."**

Just as I was about to call her, there was a knock at my door. Grabbing the cash, I paid the delivery man and thanked him for the food. Grabbing a slice of pizza, I brought up my contacts and called Spencer. Just as it was about to go to voicemail, she picked up.

"Hey!"

"Hey," I said, munching on my pizza, "what did you find?"

"Well, it's not much but apparently he never gave his resignation at Rosewood. He just sort of… disappeared."

"Okay that is definitely not like Ezra I mean, if he knew he was leaving he would have at least told someone, right?"

"Yeah that's a bit odd but that's not even the best part. According to his landlord-"

"Wait," Finishing my slice, I sat up a bit on my couch, "you spoke to his landlord?"

"Yeah but listen, his landlord said that he never came home the night before he disappeared and after calling him and trying to contact him him after a few weeks, he had all of Ezra's stuff boxed up and put in storage. Aaaand, guess who he gave permission to, to go through all of Ezra's old stuff?"

"He's letting you go through Ezra's stuff?!"

"Well you and me but yes. So I figured we could stop by his old apartment building tomorrow after work and check it all out."

"Yeah that sounds great; I'll meet you there around 6."

"Okay, see you then, Ar."

"Bye, Oh and Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For all of this, really. It means a lot."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you track down the idiotic ass that smashed your heart to bits when he left without a single word as to where he was going four years ago?"

Smiling to myself I shook my head at Spencer's defensive side.

"Bye, Spencer."

"Bye," She replied laughing.

Hanging up the phone I cleaned up my dinner mess and stuck the leftovers in the fridge. Crawling in to bed that night I tried my best to forget about all the possibilities and get some rest. After many hours of restless thinking, my body finally gave into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_"__Sorry to bother you but, I'm not sleeping tonight until I say this."_

_"__Take your coat off. Sit down."_

_"__No, no. I'm not staying. I just came here to say that I signed up for the play for all the wrong reasons so I'm officially done. You're right, it was a terrible idea."_

_"__Aria-"_

_"__But you were wrong too. About the future. You have no idea what's gonna happen tomorrow. Nobody does. My friend Alison, she didn't. She didn't get a future. She didn't even get to turn 16."_

_"__Listen, I-"_

_"__No, but let me finish. I don't know if I'm gonna end up in California or some fishing village in Guam. It doesn't matter. We're both here now. Can't we just be happy that we have that?"_

I jolted awake wrapped up in my sheets and coved in a thin sheen of sweat. As I sat up in my bed I brought my knees to my chest and placed my head in my palms, desperately trying to calm down my ragged breaths. As I finally managed to do so, I glanced over at the clock and took note that it was half past four. Grunting, I heaved myself out of bed and trudged to the bathroom realizing that I would not be able to fall back to sleep after that vivid dream. I splashed some cold water on my face and as I reached for the towel I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The woman staring back at me was not myself but the face of a tired looking woman, worn out from the harsh trials of life and appearing much older than her actual age. Sighing I returned to my bedroom only to make my way back to the bathroom with a change of clothes. Turning on the water to the shower, I peeled off my sweat-covered clothes and tested the water before stepping in. I tilted my head back, allowing the steaming water to rinse away all the sweat from my dream and then started on washing my hair and body. Spending way more time than needed in the shower, I finally stepped out and dried off before changing into a pair of sweats and a shirt. I walked downstairs to my kitchen and began preparing breakfast for myself. As I was waiting for it to cook, I walked over to my desk and unplugged my phone from the charger, noticing that it was already six o' clock. Shuffling my way back over to the kitchen, I ate my breakfast in silence and when I had finished cleaning up the mess I walked back upstairs to my bedroom and changed into something more appropriate for work. Throwing my hair up in a messy bun and grabbing my sunglasses, I walked back downstairs and grabbed my phone and purse before heading out to my car and driving to work. I found a place to park and grabbed my purse before stepping out of my car and walking into the book store. When I walked into the back room I saw that Harold's wife Gretchen was there. Smiling at her as I set my purse down I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee. When I turned around I noticed that Gretchen was looking at me with worried eyes.

"Dear, are you okay?"

Nodding my head as I took a sip of my coffee I looked back at her. "Yeah I'm fine."

Skepticism covered her face as she took a step forward towards me. "Are you sure? You look tired; sick even."

Taking another sip of my coffee I assured her that I was in fact fine and had just had a rough night.

Taking one last glance at me she replied, "Alright dear but if you ever need to talk about anything just always know that I am here for you." before walking out of the backroom.

Taking a seat on one of the plush chairs, I finished off my coffee and watched whatever happened to be playing on the tiny TV across from me. When I decided that I had wasted enough time doing nothing, I stood up and rinsed out my mug before grabbing my book out of my purse and heading back to the main room. I took Harold's place at the cash register rung up the couple in front of me. Grabbing my book I started reading until the bell above the door chimed, announcing a customer. I glanced up to welcome them until I noticed that it was Hanna. Setting my book down, I got up from my place behind the counter and walked over to her, enveloping her in a much needed hug. As I stood back, I saw the look of concern cover her face.

"Are you okay, Aria? You look like you haven't slept in years."

Smiling at her I nodded my head and replied, "Yeah Han, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep much last night."

"Nightmares?" she questioned as we made our way over to a sofa sitting next to the counter.

Sitting down I scoffed, "Something like that."

Hanna looked at me for a moment before sighing. "Oh honey it wasn't about him was it?"

Glancing down at my lap I began to fiddle with my hands anxiously before finally slowly nodding at her speculation.

Sighing once again Hanna put her hand on my shoulder before she enveloped me in another hug as I desperately tried to keep back the tears that threatened to fall. Only when I sniffled did Hanna pull back from the embrace and gave me a sad smile. When Ezra left, Hanna was the most sympathetic towards it all. She had spent countless nights over at my house holding me as I cried myself to sleep. She always had a plan to preoccupy my mind so he couldn't consume my thoughts and was always keeping me busy.

Sensing the need to change the subject, Hanna chippered up gave me a huge smile. "Well I came here today wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch with Emily and I. I figured we could try and persuade Spencer to join us but knowing how much she likes to work I think that would be pretty useless."

Laughing softly I smiled and nodded my head at her invitation. "Yeah sure I'd love to. I'll text Spence anyway, though I'd have to agree with your proclamation."

Standing up, Hanna grabbed her purse and started walking towards the door as I followed.

"Okay great. We'll meet at the grille around 12?"

Glancing at the clock I noticed that wasn't for another 2 hours. "Yeah sounds great. I'll see you there."

Waving back at her as I took my spot back behind the counter, I texted Spencer asking if she wanted to join us for lunch and then sat back down with my book and read until it was time to head out for lunch.

~X~

I was laughing and having a great time with my friends at the grille until Hanna and Emily got up to use the restroom. Spencer, who had decided to join us for lunch, turned to me and asked, "Are you going to tell them?"

Playing dumb I looked at her with confusion and responded, "Tell them what?"

Rolling her eyes, Spencer looked at me with annoyance at my childish games.

Sighing I looked down at the table before glancing back at her. "I guess, I mean it's wrong of me to withhold that information."

Nodding her head in approval, Spencer turned back around just as Hanna and Emily sat back down. I looked up from my empty salad plate and looked at Emily and Hanna.

"I have something to tell you guys," I confessed.

Hanna and Emily brought their attention to me and awaited my reveal.

"A few days ago-"

"The day after your birthday to be exact." Spencer added.

"Wait, how do you know what she's going to say?" Hanna exclaimed and turned towards me. "How come she gets to know before we do?"

Glancing at Spencer in annoyance I continued on. "It's not important but, as I was saying, a few days ago I got a letter in the mail."

"People still do that whole letter thing?" Hanna question incredulously.

"Yes Hanna people still do 'that whole letter thing'. Now shut up and let her finish." Spencer replied, her voice laced with annoyance and frustration from the blonde's interruptions.

With a huff, Hanna crossed her arms over her chest and waited for me to further explain.

"From Ezra."

"Ezra Fitz? He actually wrote you? After all these years?" Emily said, shocked.

I nodded my head and glanced over at Hanna who just had her mouth agape and remained silent.

"Say something." I said to Hanna.

Closing her mouth, Hanna sat up straighter and looked at me with questioning eyes. "What do you want me to say? This is pretty shocking news, Aria. I'm not quite sure I know how to take this."

Nodding my head in understanding, I replied. "I understand. I'm not quite sure how to digest this either. All I know is that the feeling I have in my gut keeps telling me that something is wrong. And I can't shake the thought of him being in danger. I have to figure out why he wrote this letter and why I'm just now receiving it. Spencer and I are going to his old apartment building tonight to see if we can find any clues as to what might have happened to him. You guys are more than welcome to join."

"You know I would love to help you Ar but I have pans with Caleb tonight," Hanna said, "But keep me updated on what you find and I'll help you. I'll be with you the whole way."

"Me too," Emily replied, reaching across the table to grasp my hand.

Smiling at my friends I replied, "Thanks you guys. This means a lot to me, to have your support in all of this. I know you may have not agreed with our relationship in the beginning and I know you may have been mad at him when he left but it means a lot to me that you guys are willing to put that aside and help me with this, even if it is a bit farfetched and unlikely."

"We're your friends," Spencer said, smiling as she took my other hand in hers.

Nodding in agreement Emily smiled added "We're with you every step of the way."

**I had a lot of fun writing the conversation between the four girls and I hope I managed to write their characters correctly. How do you guys feel about these flashbacks? Do you want more of them? Less? Review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter!**


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